“So there will be a tower with one of these at its summit in Ku Kara?”
“Unfortunately, in your case, no,” Ella said, “much as I might like it to be otherwise. As far north as Ku Kara is, we’re only able to extend the chain to Lake Vor. We simply don’t have the resources to continue farther into the icy north.”
“So you need us to keep watch on the tower at Lake Vor?” Ada said, glancing up to meet Ella’s eyes.
“Exactly. If a reflector is activated in Seranthia, for example, it will shine purple. If the Petryans in Tlaxor were to activate theirs, it would shine red, the color of Petrya, to show they require assistance. The colors will spark along the chain until every device is lit up with that color, and everyone knows that a house is requesting help. It’s a simple system, but we hope it will be effective. We’re asking all the houses to pledge their assistance and to come if one of us calls.”
“I understand,” Ada said. “I’ll explain the system to the Dain. How many of these towers have you built so far?”
“We’ve traveled to Seranthia by ship, but after the Chorum we’ll be heading back home over land. Our enchanters will build them as we go, although the station at Lake Vor will necessarily be one of the last constructed.”
“Excuse me, Enchantress. Two messages for you.”
Turning, Ella saw a courier in Alturan green standing just inside the doorway. She didn’t recognize him, but that wasn’t surprising; there were so many new faces in the market house these days.
Ada stood as Ella took the two notes the courier handed her. “I see you have work to do,” Ada said. “I also have other business to take care of. Thank you for the demonstration. I’m sure my father will agree to help.”
Ella rose and touched her fingers to her heart, lips, and forehead as Ada and her retinue gave a short bow and departed.
Ella opened the first of the folded notes and frowned.
It was from Ilathor, kalif of House Hazara, written with the flowery prose the desert men favored. Ilathor greeted Ella and asked her about her well-being. He said he wanted to see her at her earliest convenience.
Ella thought about the time she’d spent in Petrya with Ilathor after she’d helped the desert prince conquer Tlaxor, the Petryan capital, a city guarded by a volcanic lake. Lord of the Sky, it felt like eons had passed since. She set the note aside and opened the second message.
There was just one written word. Tonight.
Ella smiled and felt a flush of pleasure. It was already growing dark, and she wouldn’t have long to wait. Ella glanced around to make sure she was alone before exiting the meeting chamber and heading deeper into the Alturan market house. She passed through the great hall, weaving through the merchants and soldiers she encountered on the way to the stairs. She checked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being watched before she began to climb. The set of stairs led her up two levels before she reached her personal chambers at the end of a corridor.
Her heart raced with excitement.
Entering her chambers and gently shutting the door behind her, Ella threw a heavy cloak with a furred collar and hood over her shoulders before pulling on two soft gloves. She crossed the room and pulled open the doors leading to the balcony.
The fierce biting wind struck her with force, and she grimaced at the chill on her exposed cheeks. Stepping out onto the balcony, she tried to close the doors softly behind her, but they were torn from her grip and slammed shut.
It was freezing out on the balcony, but even so, Ella placed two gloved hands on the rail and looked out at the grand skyline of the Imperial capital Seranthia and the golden glow of the windows, which gave the city a softened beauty in darkness that it never had in light.
There were so many buildings pressed close together that it was difficult to encompass them all. Block-shaped structures clustered around her: the market houses of the other eight houses. Nearby, snowy gardens surrounded the manses of Fortune’s wealthy merchants. A long line where the distant buildings ahead terminated could only signal the length of the Grand Boulevard. The Imperial Palace rose above it all, easily the highest structure around, dominating the city with its lofty size.
Seranthia was now so peaceful, but Ella feared the tranquility would soon be shattered by the coming darkness. In a way she’d come to love this city, a difficult place in many ways, where it was easy to feel like a stranger, yet filled with infinite variety. Rich and poor mingled together in Seranthia, even though the difference in their stations was greater here than anywhere else. Many of the city’s inhabitants seemed to think of Seranthians as separate from Tingarans, and even the individual neighborhoods were renowned, with each projecting its own charisma and the citizens of each fiercely proud of the district they called home.